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''Reality Bites'' is a 1994 American romantic
comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
film written by Helen Childress and directed by Ben Stiller in his feature directorial debut. It stars
Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born ), known professionally as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Having come to attention playing quirky characters in the late 1980s, she achieved success with her more dramatic performances in the 1990s. Ryder's L ...
,
Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, author, and film director. He made his film debut in ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989). Hawke starr ...
, and Stiller, with supporting roles by Janeane Garofalo and Steve Zahn. The film follows an aspiring videographer, working on a documentary about the disenchanted lives of her friends and roommates. Childress wrote the initial screenplay on spec in 1990, inspired by the lives of her friends and herself during the U.S. economic recession in the early 1990s. Stiller was hired as director in 1991, but later starred in the film after working with Childress on the final screenplay, which was completed in December 1992. The film faced production delays until Ryder committed to the project, after which Hawke and Zahn were cast. Garofalo was fired during filming but returned after Ryder stepped in on her behalf.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
lasted 42 days in 1993, with filming taking place in
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
and
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. ''Reality Bites'' received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the performances of Ryder, Hawke and Garofalo. It grossed $41 million worldwide. It appeared on some critics' year-end lists for 1994 and 1995 and has since gained cult status for its depiction of the early careers and young adult lifestyles of
Generation X Generation X (often shortened to Gen X) is the Demography, demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the Baby Boomers and preceding Millennials. Researchers and popular media often use the mid-1960s as its starting birth years and the ...
.


Plot

Four friends who are recent college graduates live together in Houston, Texas. Coffeehouse guitarist Troy Dyer and budding filmmaker Lelaina Pierce are attracted to each other, although they have not acted on their feelings except for one brief, drunken encounter years ago. Troy is floundering, having lost several minimum-wage jobs—the last of which he loses for stealing a candy bar from his employer. Lelaina was valedictorian of her university and aspires to make documentaries, although initially has to settle for a position as production assistant to a rude and obnoxious TV host. Lelaina meets Michael Grates when throwing a lit cigarette into his convertible causes him to crash into her car. They begin dating. He works as an executive at an
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
-like channel called In Your Face, and after seeing a documentary she has been working on, wants to get it aired on his network. Lelaina's roommate Vickie has a series of one-night stands and short relationships with dozens of men; her promiscuity leads her to face a very real risk of contracting HIV after a former fling tests positive for the virus. Working as a sales associate for the Gap, Vickie is later promoted to manager and is content with her new job. Her friend Sammy Gray is gay; he remains celibate, not due to a fear of AIDS, but because forming a relationship would force him to come out to his conservative parents. After an impulsive act of retribution against her boss, Lelaina loses her job, which causes some tension with her roommates. Eventually, Vickie's HIV test comes back negative and Sammy comes out to his parents (and he even starts dating) and the two manage to resume their lives. Meanwhile, Lelaina's relationship with Michael dissolves after he helps her sell the documentary to his network, only to let them edit it into a stylized montage that compromises her artistic vision. Lelaina and Troy have a heart-to-heart which leads to them sleeping together and confessing their feelings. The morning after, he avoids her, and after a messy confrontation, leaves town. When Troy's father dies, it forces him to reevaluate his life, deciding to attempt a relationship with Lelaina. Troy and Lelaina reunite and make amends once he returns from his father's funeral in Chicago. While we do not see what happens to Michael, during the credits there is an abrupt break where two characters, "Elaina" and "Roy", who are obvious parodies of Lelaina and Troy, have an argument about their relationship. As the "show's" credits roll, Michael's name is revealed as the creator, implying that he has turned the relationship between Lelaina and Troy into the subject of a new show on his network.


Cast

In addition to Garofalo, director Stiller gave cameos to Andy Dick (as a sleazy boss) and John F. O'Donohue (as a convenience store manager), both cast members of '' The Ben Stiller Show''. Stiller also cast fellow ''Saturday Night Live'' alumnus David Spade in an uncredited appearance as the manager during Lelaina's job interview at
Wienerschnitzel Wienerschnitzel is an American fast food chain that specializes in hot dogs and other food products. The brand was founded in 1961 by former Taco Bell employee John Galardi and originally named Der Wienerschnitzel. Despite the name, the company ...
. Stiller's girlfriend Jeanne Tripplehorn also makes an uncredited appearance, parodying Cindy Crawford and MTV's show '' House of Style''. Renée Zellweger appears as Tami, a one-night stand of Troy's. Soul Asylum's lead singer Dave Pirner and
The Lemonheads The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member. After their initial punk-influenced releases and tours as an indep ...
' frontman Evan Dando also made cameos.


Production


Development

In 1991, producer Michael Shamberg had an idea to make a film about people in their twenties. He had read a screenplay entitled ''Blue Bayou'', written by Helen Childress on spec in 1990. He liked it and met with her, and she proceeded to tell him about her life and friends, and their struggle to find work during a recession in the United States at the time. For three years, she wrote and rewrote ''Reality Bites'', generating 70 different drafts. Childress decided to use her friends, their personalities and experiences as the basis for her film. The film's producers saw the pilot episode for '' The Ben Stiller Show'' and approached Stiller to direct it, but not act in it. He signed on to direct in 1992 and worked with Childress for nine to ten months developing the script. Initially, Childress, working with producer Stacey Sher, had figured out the characters of Lelaina and Troy, but could not come up with a credible character to complete the love triangle. Stiller suggested that he could play that third person. As a result, the Michael character changed from a 35-year-old advertising executive trying to market Japanese candy bars in America to a television executive in his twenties. They also changed the structure of the film. Originally, Vickie, Sammy and Troy had more fleshed out storylines, but Stiller felt that he could not tell them fully and decided to focus on the relationship between Lelaina and Troy. By December 1992, Childress and Stiller had a script that was ready to be filmed for
TriStar Pictures TriStar Pictures, Inc. (spelled as Tri-Star until 1991) is an American film studio and production company that is part of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, which is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The compan ...
, but the studio put it into turnaround. Sher, Stiller and Childress managed to convince the Film Commission of Texas to fund a
location scouting Location scouting is a vital process in the pre-production stage of filmmaking and commercial photography. Once scriptwriters, producers or directors have decided what general kind of scenery they require for the various parts of their work ...
trip to
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, despite no studio backing, no budget and no cast. The film had been turned down by all Hollywood studios because it tried to capture the Generation X market like '' Singles'', which was not a box office success. When Sher, Stiller and Childress arrived in Houston, they received a phone call informing them that
Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born ), known professionally as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Having come to attention playing quirky characters in the late 1980s, she achieved success with her more dramatic performances in the 1990s. Ryder's L ...
had read the script, wanted to do it and that
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
had agreed to finance the film. After completing several period pieces, Ryder was drawn to ''Reality Bites'' because she was looking "for something a little more contemporary because I really wanted to wear blue jeans for a change". She read the script in one sitting while making '' The House of the Spirits'' and "found it very true to life." She further speculated in an interview, "I think my character is very close to what I would probably have ended up as if I hadn't become an actress".
Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, author, and film director. He made his film debut in ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989). Hawke starr ...
was at this point unhappy with the direction his career was taking; the actor recalled that his career was in a lull after the buzz from '' Dead Poets Society'' had faded. Ryder was a fan of his work and stipulated in her contract that her involvement in the film was dependent on Hawke starring opposite her. Janeane Garofalo knew Stiller from working together on ''The Ben Stiller Show'', and the film's producers felt that her style of comedy was perfect for the character of Vickie. She said that Parker Posey, Anne Heche, and
Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow ( ; born September 27, 1972) is an American actress and businesswoman. The daughter of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner, she established herself as a leading lady appearing in mainly mid-budget and perio ...
were all up for the role. The studio wanted Paltrow, but Ryder supported Garofalo for the role after making a connection with her. Before filming began, Garofalo was fired from the production because Stiller did not like her attitude during rehearsal. Garofalo was rehired after Ryder stepped in on her behalf. Garofalo stated later that she has a really poor work ethic and hates to rehearse. Stiller met Steve Zahn through Hawke, with whom Zahn was starring in a play, and he was impressed by how funny Zahn was. The actor went to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, and tested for the film. He felt strongly about playing a gay character coming out of the closet. According to Childress, the title of the film isn't meant to be interpreted as "reality sucks." During the run-up to the
1992 United States presidential election The 1992 United States presidential election was the United States presidential election, presidential election, held in the United States, on November 3, 1992. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of governor of Arkansas B ...
, Childress kept hearing references to "sound bites," which made her think of Lelaina's recorded vignettes of her friends as "little bites of reality."


Shooting

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
lasted 42 days, on a budget of $11.5 million. The filmmakers shot many of the exteriors in Houston (including a scene on top of the Two Shell Plaza building), where the film is set, but most of the interiors were shot in Los Angeles, because it was cheaper to do so there. During filming, Stiller encouraged Childress to be on location and talk with the actors about their characters.


Soundtrack

RCA met with the film's music supervisor Karyn Rachtman, and Stiller, three weeks into filming, to discuss the soundtrack album. They finalized a deal and the label opened its roster to the director, who picked only one band: Me Phi Me. RCA aggressively marketed the album and had five tracks on rotation on radio and
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
. The video for
Crowded House Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Paul Hester (drums), who were both for ...
's "Locked Out" was updated to include footage from the film. In addition, the video for "Spin the Bottle" by the Juliana Hatfield Three was directed by Stiller and featured clips from the film as well. The soundtrack sold 1.2 million units and reached #13 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album also earned a No. 1 single with Lisa Loeb's " Stay (I Missed You)". The soundtrack peaked at number 2 in Australia and was certified platinum. The film's
soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
includes songs by World Party, Squeeze, the Knack (a remixed version of " My Sharona" featured prominently in one scene from the film), Juliana Hatfield,
Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. It consists of Mike Ness (vocals, guitar), Jonny Wickersham (guitar), Brent Harding (bass), David Hidalgo Jr. (drums), and David Kalish (keyboards). Emerg ...
, and two contributions from Crowded House ("Locked Out" and "Something So Strong"), in addition to the runaway hit "Stay (I Missed You)" by Lisa Loeb, which earned Loeb the distinction of being the first artist to top the Hot 100 before being signed to any record label and "Baby I Love Your Way" by Big Mountain. It also includes "Conjunction Junction" from '' Schoolhouse Rock!'', another song brought into the foreground of a film full of
pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...
references. # " My Sharona" – the Knack # "Spin the Bottle" – Juliana Hatfield Three # "Bed of Roses" – the Indians # "When You Come Back to Me" – World Party # "Going, Going, Gone" –
the Posies The Posies were an American rock band. The band was formed in 1986 in Bellingham, Washington, United States, by primary songwriters Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. Their music has its origins in Merseybeat and the Hollies. They are influ ...
# " Stay (I Missed You)" – Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories # " All I Want Is You" – U2 # " Locked Out" –
Crowded House Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Paul Hester (drums), who were both for ...
# "Spinning Around Over You" – Lenny Kravitz # "I'm Nuthin'" –
Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, author, and film director. He made his film debut in ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989). Hawke starr ...
# "Turnip Farm" – Dinosaur Jr. # "Revival!" – Me Phi Me # " Tempted" – Squeeze # " Baby, I Love Your Way" – Big Mountain 10th Anniversary Edition bonus tracks #
  • "Stay (I Missed You)" (Living Room mix) – Lisa Loeb # " Add It Up" – Ethan Hawke ( Violent Femmes cover) # "Confusion" – New Order # "Disco Inferno" – The Trammps # "Give a Man a Fish" –
    Arrested Development ''Arrested Development'' is an American satire, satirical television sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz. It follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, dysfunctional family and is presented in a Serial (radio and television), serialized format, inco ...
    # "Fools Like Me" – Lisa Loeb


    Weekly charts


    Year-end charts


    Certifications


    Release

    ''Reality Bites'' went through four
    test screening A test screening, or test audience, is a preview screening of a film or television series before its general release to gauge audience reaction. Preview audiences are selected from a cross-section of the population and are usually asked to complet ...
    s with a fairly decent reaction, before it premiered at the
    Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
    in January 1994, and was theatrically released in the United States on February 18, 1994.


    Box office

    The film grossed $5.1 million in 1,149 theaters on its opening weekend. Initially, ''Reality Bites'' did not perform as well at the box office as the studio had hoped. In six weeks, it grossed $18.3 million, more than the film's $11 million production budget. Bruce Feldman, Universal Pictures' Vice President of Marketing, said, "The media labeled it as a Generation X picture, while we thought it was a comedy with broad appeal". The studio placed advertisements during programs chosen for their appeal to 12- to 34-year-olds, and in interviews Stiller was careful not to mention the phrase, "Generation X". The film went on to be a moderate hit for Universal and make $20.9 million in the United States and Canada and $20 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $40.9 million.


    Critical reception

    The film received positive reviews. Review aggregator
    Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
    reports that 62% of 60 critics gave the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6.1/10. The site's consensus states: "''Reality Bites'' may be too slick to fulfill its promise as a profound statement on Generation X, but an appealing ensemble and romantic sizzle make for an entertaining dive into the ennui of youth." On
    Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
    the film has a score of 67 out of 100 based on reviews from 26 critics. Audiences surveyed by
    CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...
    gave the film a grade B+ on scale of A to F. Caryn James, in her review for ''
    The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
    '' wrote, "Like the generation it presents so appealingly, it doesn't see any point in getting all bent out of shape and overambitious. But it knows how to hang out and have a great time". In his review for ''
    The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
    '', Desson Howe wrote, "By aiming specifically—and accurately—at characters in their twenties, debuting screenwriter Helen Childress and first-time director Stiller achieve something even greater: they encapsulate an era". ''
    Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
    '' magazine's
    Richard Schickel Richard Warren Schickel (February 10, 1933 – February 18, 2017) was an American film historian, journalist, author, documentarian, and film and literary critic. He was a film critic for ''Time'' from 1965–2010, and also wrote for '' ...
    wrote, "the movie bobs along on this stream of funny offhandedness, never losing its balance. If it's 10 o'clock, and you want to know where your supposedly grownup children are, this is a good place to look for them". When asked in 2007 how well ''Reality Bites'' had aged, Janeane Garofalo replied, "I think it means a lot more to people younger than me. I was not the target audience. I was 29 playing a 21-year-old, so I don't think I understand why younger people like it." In 2013, Stiller proposed a television series sequel. The film is recognized by
    American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...
    in these lists: * 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated


    Year-end lists

    * 4th – Scott Schuldt, ''
    The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circul ...
    '' * Honorable mention – Michael MacCambridge, ''
    Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is owned by Hearst Communications. The distribution of the following ''The New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', '' ...
    '' * Honorable mention – David Elliott, ''
    The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...
    ''


    Lawsuit

    In 2005, the real Dyer (a film financier) sued writer Childress, producer DeVito, and director Stiller. Dyer claimed that screenwriter Childress stated on audio commentary tracks that she wrote the story based on her actual college friends and roommates, and that he was then forced to deal with past and potential clients' "inquiries as to whether he was the fictional character" as well as internet users attributing outlandish, caustic, unprofessional and immature quotations lifted from the film’s dialogue as being ideas and jargon of his own. The defendants attempted to seek shelter under California's anti-SLAPP statutes, but in early 2007 the appeals court denied them SLAPP protection. The suit was quickly settled after Dyer received a written document from Childress stating he was not the person portrayed in the film.


    Television series

    In May 2022, it was reported that a television series adaptation of the film is in the works at
    Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
    with Childress, DeVito, Jenna Bans, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher and Casey Kyber serving as executive producers.


    References


    External links

    * * *
    Reality Bites: Interview with Ben Stiller (1993)
    Texas Archive of the Moving Image The Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) is an independent 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2002 by film archivist and University of Texas at Austin professor Caroline Frick, PhD. TAMI's mission is to preserve, study, and exhibit Texas film ...
    {{DEFAULTSORT:Reality Bites 1990s American films 1990s coming-of-age comedy-drama films 1990s English-language films 1994 directorial debut films 1994 films 1994 LGBTQ-related films 1994 romantic comedy-drama films American coming-of-age comedy-drama films American LGBTQ-related films American romantic comedy-drama films English-language romantic comedy-drama films Films directed by Ben Stiller Films produced by Danny DeVito Films set in Houston Films shot in Houston Films shot in Los Angeles Universal Pictures films Works subject to a lawsuit